Comedy of the Brothers Coen

Joel and Ethan Coen must have a funny sense of humor, because the idea of making an “adaptation” of Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ without having read it just seems like a bad idea when I picture anyone else doing it, but with them it seems like that’s part of the joke. They put enough of the story into this film to warrant it being credited as an adaption but certainly create a world of their own within the context of the film — 1930s Mississippi. And the Coens are masters of creating worlds within their films. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish our Coen series with this fantastic 2000 film.

It seems appropriate to the character of the Dude that “The Big Lebowski” took its time finding its audience. Coming fresh on the heels of their first Oscar-winning hit, “Fargo,” the Coen Brothers’ 7th film had a strange sense of humor, felt disjointed, was full of swearing, and didn’t connect with audiences or critics, who were all largely left scratching their heads. But time was on the side of the movie as people continued to discover it, turning it into a much-loved cult classic — with its own annual festival even. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Coen Comedy series with 1998’s “The Big Lebowski.”

It’s time for some laughs! Kicking off our series of Coen brother comedies, we jump in with the second film of theirs, “Raising Arizona.” Coming after “Blood Simple,” they certainly went 180 degrees with this wild comedy. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about this hilarious 1987 film.